Despite what the likes of Lindsay Lohan and Paris Hilton might have you believe, the life of a young Hollywood starlet isn’t all that it’s cracked up to be. Turns out, when star Eden Sher is not busy shooting THE MIDDLE, she isn’t celebrating the sophomore success of the hit ABC comedy with weekend jaunts to Las Vegas or late nights out at the Viper Room. So just what is Sher doing in her downtime thanks to her newfound fame? Easy, “Sleep!” revealed Sher on a recent one-on-one interview. “On the weekend I just sleep most of the time because we’re working so hard on the show during the week.”
Talk to any actor who has been asked to learn a skill (such as martial arts or guitar) for a role and you’ll invariably discover that they’ve fallen in love with their new found talent. Any actor that is except Eden Sher, who can’t quite muster Sue’s enthusiasm for cross-country. “I can of course relate to her in every episode because I play her, but I’m definitely not as ‘Sue-ish’,” explained Sher. “I never was on my school’s cross-country team and I actually have no intention of every doing it! Learning about it from Sue, well, it’s hard work and a very weird sport.”
No really. Unlike those teenagers on every single CW and ABC Family show, the actress relishes the simplicity of Sue’s wardrobe. “I’m not tired of it. In fact, it’s actually kind of nice, like going to school and wearing a uniform,” said Sher of what has now become her trademark yellow cross-country sweatshirt. “I don’t have to think about what my wardrobe is going to be and whether or not I’m going to look weird in it. I know what it is, it’s a yellow sweatshirt.” And as an added bonus, unlike her clothing-challenged costar Charlie McDermott (Axl) who spends the better part of his days clad only in boxer shorts on a very cold soundstage Sher is always warm.
If you’ve ever watched an episode of THE MIDDLE and laughed at how similarly dysfunctional your family is, there’s a very good reason for that. The writer’s are constantly mining their own lives and the lives of the cast for stories. Take tonight’s episode for example that has the Heck family hosting a foreign exchange student. Turns out, it was inspired by star Patricia Heaton’s real life. So just what stories does Sher have at the ready should the writers come’a’calling? “I don’t think my life is interesting enough to have any real stories,” admitted Sher sheepishly, “Except there was one thing… the Halloween episode, in my real life I was a piece of gum for Halloween and dressed all in pink which I thought maybe could be incorporated into an episode. But sadly, it didn’t make the cut!”
And by that we mean, Sue’s braces of course! Fun fact: The fake prosthetic braces Sue wears were actually based on the actresses actual braces that she wore for five years growing up. Explained Sher, “The fake braces from the pilot that were in the plastic prosthetic piece are my real braces!” 
THE MIDDLE airs Wednesday nights at 8PM on ABC